From Four Corners, we headed for Durango, CO. Colorado is one of our favorite states, so as you can imagine, we were very excited to be back! Pulling up to our beautiful campground surrounded by red cliffs and snowy peaks, we couldn’t wait to spend 6 days relaxing from the busy schedule we had endured the past several weeks. The dogs were just as excited as we were, coming from sand-spurred terrain to the lush, soft grass everywhere. It was a little piece of heaven!
Durango is such a cool town! It has the feel of the wild west combined with a hint of old lavish opulence from the gold mining era, it’s a large enough town to offer a great selection of restaurants & shopping, yet it holds on to the notorious laid-back style of Colorado. It’s fairly flat terrain makes getting around very easy, yet it’s also just a short (breathtaking) drive to small mining towns & ski villages in the mountains. It’s home to a local hot spring, which we took full advantage of & it even has a local airport! Sounding like we may want to visit again? We do…& we can’t wait until the next time!!
Our drive up to Silverton was amazing. We knew we’d see snowy peaks, but didn’t realize that just 20 minutes from our camper we could actually play in it!
The old mining town of Silverton, CO!
Celebrating the sweetest husband & father’s 46th birthday!!
On two consecutive mornings, we woke up to this…
A short drive from Durango is Mesa Verde National Park. This was another highlight! Learning about the ancestral Pueblo people and seeing their dwellings in the cliffs was just amazing!! We kept trying to imagine the first explorers that just happened upon these “houses”…
Reluctantly, we packed up and bid farewell to Colorado for a long trek down the state of New Mexico into the city of Las Cruces. Driving south through the state of New Mexico, what can we say….there’s not much to see other than tumbleweeds & tons of desert lands. Its hot and dry and trying to imagine the summer heat makes you want to race to a refreshing shaded, poolside cabana! We got some laughs as various neighborhoods reminded us of Walt & Jesse in Breaking Bad.
Arriving safely to Hacienda RV, we were delighted at how NICE our campground was. It was the largest site we’ve had in the entire trip…like HUGE!!…& every detail was meticulous. They even had a boutique in the clubhouse selling a wonderful selection of local food items, handmade baskets, etc. We had fun enjoying the grounds!
About an hour drive from Las Cruces was something we’d waited over a year to do…sled on the white crystal gypsum dunes at White Sands National Monument!! This place is a phenomenon! It’s just so random in the midst of the desert!! It’s ever-changing dunes are formed from the build-up of gypsum in the waters from the mountains. Once the water gathers nearby, the gypsum dries up, breaks off & is blown by the strong winds toward the dunes. It’s the most amazing sand we’ve ever experienced. Pure white quartz sand! Sinking deeply in with every step, you just wanted to be covered in it…and covered we were, as we laid & rolled around & got our fill!!
From Las Cruces, we headed east on I-10. Traveling through Texas, it seemed like the road would never end. Our longest travel day of the entire trip led us into the wonderful town of San Antonio. During that drive, we listened to a couple audiobooks on the Alamo & by the time we arrived, we were ready to go see it in person, especially the spot where Davy Crockett was firing from, as well as the gold ring that Col. Travis gave to Angelina Dickinson, “The Alamo Baby”.
San Antonio Riverwalk
The last days of our trip were finally at hand. We were on I-10, the same road that would take us to Jacksonville. The realization was hitting, the end was near…we had done it!!
Ring Tales...our great RV adventure! 